It's time for Barack Obama to earn his money.

[kentuck]

It is time for him to lead.

There is no compromise with these right-wing ideologues. The Democrats in the House and Senate are wasting their breath. But the President has the great equalizer - the veto pen. It is time for him to use it.

Nobody wants to take the heat for not paying the troops but the President has to find a way to explain to the people and the troops why we cannot be bribed or blackmailed by political ideologues. They are one part of the three branches of government and we have met them more than half-way in this budget battle but they insist on bringing their old cultural issues to the fight. It is against our values as a people and we cannot by any means of conscience agree to their tactics. We have gone as far as we can go. It is up to them, as the Legislature, to provide funds to keep our government running. We cannot and will not surrender to their under-handed political tactics.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Has he caved and we haven't heard about it (yet?)

Last I heard, he was threatening a veto on the latest CR and AFAIK isn't signing on to any of the teabagger's "riders". Sounds like's "earning his money" to me? :shrug:

[kentuck]

4. I hope not...

I am saying that I do not think the Democrats in the House or Senate are able to work out a compromise with these people and the President is the only one with the veto pen and he may have to use. The negotiations are a waste of time. The Republican right-wing want to shut the government down and the President is the last wall of defense against them.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. The Dems in Congress (i.e. Reid) don't appear to be caving much

I wouldn't expect the negotiations to stop (yeah, I agree that they're pretty hopeless). I think that if the policy riders get dropped, there will be a deal fairly quickly thereafter. Unfortunately, that may or may not happen in time. Boehner pretty much said yesterday that the government could shut down even if a deal is reached due to their "three day" rule. It seems like we're headed towards an iceberg but I don't expect President Obama and/or the other Dems in Congress to acquiesce to most (all?) of the policy riders, certainly not the health care law and planned parenthood ones IMHO

[kentuck]

6. Exactly!

The Democrats are not going to acquiesce. The Republicans plan on shutting the government down. They think they now have the upper hand. Who can refuse to pay the troops? The President can request that they send him a separate bill that he can sign so the troops can be paid. If they refuse, the ball is back in their court.It is some very under-handed politics but the President is the only one with any power on our side.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Remember Bush and his temper tantrums

about needing to have a "clean bill" when it came to Iraq and troop funding? I think that the Dems need to throw that back in their faces right about now! Fruitless debates over Defunding Planned Parenthood, NPR, ACA, et. al shouldn't lead to a government shutdown. If the Dems argue this, then that will keep the pressure on the teabaggers and the Republicans whom are obsessed with pandering to them. Already, the polls seem to indicate that this situation is not wearing well on the teabaggers in particular.

[kentuck]

11. Yep.

You are right.

[JanetLovesObama]

2. He doesn't have anything to veto yet.

??

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. The workers are waiting to take back this country

Obama must veto. Sink the corporate-owned GOP once and for all!

[TheKentuckian]

7. We see the path that "negotiating" with terrorist puts you on.

Some still think that some magic reversal will come and that the blind shall see and the media will tell the truth and the wealthy will spread around pots of gold.

No wonder they are always talking ponies, unicorns, and wands-silly buggers clearly believe in madcap level magic.

How does one watch the world be systematically dismantled before their eyes and think the mystical blow back is going to hit or that any of these bastards will mend their ways?

The "Invisible Hand" was insane and bullshit enough for economics but politics is a bridge way too far.

[MadBadger]

8. The Senate will stand in the way, so I doubt hed be faced with the need to veto

[kentuck]

9. You give the bully your apple....

and then he wants your lunch money. You give him your lunch money and he wants your lunch pail. There is no ending to the appeasement. The ball is in the President's court.

[NCarolinawoman]

12. I just finished reading the text of Bill Clinton's address to the nation back in 1995.

It was fairly concise and placed all the blame at the feet of Newt Gingrich and the Republicans.

He basically said he would not allow medicare, medicaid, education, and environmental regulations to be weakened.

He really threw everything back at the Republicans and made them look like hypocrites who were not looking out for the good of the country.

(I think Paul Ryan has given Obama all the ammunition he needs. Obama simply needs to be direct and spell it out.)

Clinton's speech doesn't take long to read:
http://www.cnn.com/US/9511/debt_limit/11-14/transcripts/clinton.html